Während des Angelusgebets sagte der Papst: Der heilige Stephanus hat uns gelehrt, dass das Martyrium eine Wiedergeburt im Licht ist.

On the feast of Saint Stephen, the first martyr of the Church, Pope Leo XIV invited the faithful to contemplate martyrdom not as an end, but as a beginning: a “birth into heaven” that reveals what it truly means to come into the light.

Greeting pilgrims gathered in Saint Peter’s Square for the Angelus, on the day traditionally known by early Christians as Saint Stephen’s “birthday”, the Pope recalled the ancient certainty that “we are not born just once”. With the eyes of faith, he said, even death is no longer darkness. “Martyrdom is a birth into heaven,” he continued, describing it as a passage illuminated by love rather than obscured by fear.

Reflecting on the account from the Acts of the Apostles, Pope Leo XIV pointed out the striking image of Stephen before the council:“All who sat in the council looked intently at him, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel”(Acts 6:15). This, the Pope explained, is “the face of one who does not leave history indifferently, but responds to it with love”. Stephen’s life and death, he said, mirror “the divine love that appeared in Jesus, the Light that shines in our darkness”.

From Bethlehem to martyrdom, the Holy Father traced a single thread: the call to live as children of God. The birth of the Son of God, he said, draws humanity, as it did Mary, Joseph and the shepherds with their humility. Yet, he acknowledged, the beauty of such a life is also rejected. From the very beginning, “his magnetic force has provoked the reaction of those who struggle for power”, of those unsettled by a goodness that exposes injustice and reveals “the intentions of their hearts” (cf. Lk 2:35).

Still, Pope Leo XIV insisted, no power can prevail over God’s work. Even today, across the world, there are those who “choose justice even at great cost”, who place peace before fear and service of the poor before self-interest. From these choices, he said, “hope then sprouts”, making celebration possible even amid suffering.

The Pope did not shy away from the realism of the present moment. In a world marked by uncertainty and pain, joy can seem unattainable. Those who believe in peace and follow “the unarmed path of Jesus and the martyrs”, he noted, are often ridiculed or excluded, sometimes even accused of siding with enemies. Yet, he said, “Christians have no enemies, but brothers and sisters”, whose dignity remains intact even when understanding fails.

At the heart of the Christmas mystery, Pope Leo XIV continued, is a joy sustained by those who already live fraternity, who recognise in every person, even in adversaries, “the indelible dignity of the daughters and sons of God”. Like Jesus, Stephen died forgiving, sustained by “a force more real than that of weapons”: a gratuitous force already present in every heart, reawakened when we learn to look upon one another with attention and recognition.

“Yes, this is what it means to be reborn, to come once more into the light,” the Pope said. “This is our ‘Christmas’.”

Bringing his address to a close, Pope Leo XIV entrusted the faithful to Mary, “blessed among all women who give life and counter arrogance with care, and distrust with faith”. And finally, inviting all to contemplate her, he prayed that she might lead the world into her own joy – “a joy that dissolves all fear and all threats, just as snow melts before the sun”.

“I renew my heartfelt good wishes for peace and serenity in the light of our Lord’s birth...As we remember Saint Stephen, the first Martyr, we seek his intercession for strengthening our faith and supporting the communities that suffer most for their Christian witness. May his example of humility, courage and forgiveness accompany those who, in situations of conflict, are committed to promoting dialogue, reconciliation and peace.”

“I renew my heartfelt good wishes for peace and serenity in the light of our Lord’s birth...As we remember Saint Stephen, the first Martyr, we seek his intercession for strengthening our faith and supporting the communities that suffer most for their Christian witness. May his example of humility, courage and forgiveness accompany those who, in situations of conflict, are committed to promoting dialogue, reconciliation and peace.”